


Hushed Voices Fall on Silent Lips

by SpriritoftheArctic



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Beauregard Lionett & Caleb Widogast Friendship, Caleb Widogast Deserves Nice Things, Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gay Disaster Beauregard Lionett, I just want them to be happy, I'll add more tags later, M/M, Mollymauk Tealeaf Lives, Multi, Polynein (Critical Role), kinda modern au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 16:29:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20877242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpriritoftheArctic/pseuds/SpriritoftheArctic
Summary: Caleb Widogast is lost. Well, not really, he has a book store, a purring machine of a cat, and his best friend Nott, but he feeels lost. And the memories burned into him like scars only drives him further away from others.So when he stumbles upon a tea parlor, he doesn't realize just what adventure is. Meeting some really eclectic folk, he feels even more lost.... But what if they just want him to pull him closer? To tell him that everything will (most likely) all right? What does he do when they don't want him to feel lost anymore?





	Hushed Voices Fall on Silent Lips

The thin sheet of rain froze Caleb to the bone, who was shivering and biting his bottom lip as the wind hurled stinging droplets against him. He muttered a few harsh words under his breath, and regretted it as he winced, the thorny prick of steel rain knocking him off balance.  
It had already been a crappy day for Caleb, who worked at the tiny bookstore nestled between The Hearty Bite bakery, and the small shop selling weird leather stuff next door. First of all, he had been with a particularly rude customer in the morning, and then after being hurled an insult for not understanding what the man was looking for, he had gotten coffee spilled on him by a clumsy customer, with no change of clothes.  
And now here he was, forgetting the horrible rain that was announced for tonight, and finding himself soaked, chilled, and feeling like a bony meat slab thrown out into an alley during a storm.  
A warm glow caught his eye, and looking up, he noticed faint neon lights from afar, the sleek reflection it gave on the puddles making it seem fuzzy. With a purple tint, Caleb could just make out the name- Caduceus’ Tea Parlor.  
There was a soft light still on from the inside, and while the rain made his vision blurry, he sprinted across the street, wary of any incoming cars, and ducked under the jutting sign, and hurried through the door, hands clammy and numb.  
Immediately he felt a sense of relief as the door slammed shut behind him and he walked through a curtain of beads that spilled over his shoulders as he walked inside.  
There was dim lighting, nothing harsh for his eyes who were now adjusting to the light. The place had a warm, almost stuffy feeling, which gave him a feeling like whiplash from having just been outside.  
“May I help you, sir?” A grave, yet soothing, voice called out from his right. Caleb jumped and turned to see a firbolg seated at a small circular table, draped in a star-covered tapestry, with a steaming mug of something in his hands. He didn’t seem curious, and there was no maliciousness in his eyes, just pensive.  
“Ja, I, um,” Caleb looked around briefly, “Sorry, I should get going…”  
“Nonsense, best to keep warm when the sky is having another one of her cries again,” he chuckled, getting up slowly.  
Caleb was only just realizing how tall this man way, who towered over him and was moving at a restful, calm pace.  
“Danke, but I am intruding, and at this hour I am sure you must be closing soon,” he muttered, his hands warming up his arms as he shivered slightly, feeling stiff even in this warm place.  
“But you would not. Oh, where are my manners? I’m Caduceus, owner of Caduceus’ Tea Parlor. Why don’t I get you seated and make you something to really warm you up?”  
Caleb was about to interject, but the firbolg, Caduceus, had one hand on his shoulder and was steering him to a plump beanbag at the corner of the store, which was a dull green and smelled vaguely like peppermint.  
Caleb sat down nervously, a prickling sensation on his shoulder where the firbolg’s hand had just been, and Caduceus reached over to a large woven basket, and nimbly picked out a soft-looking, red blanket, and handed it over to where Caleb was trying to get settled. He took it gratefully and placed it on his lap as he sunk into the odd chair.  
“Sir, you are too kind-”  
“There is no such thing as too much kindness,” Caduceus mused as he got behind the counter where rows and rows of glass vials lined the walls, of all sorts of different colors. He picked some out with a sort of slow, meticulous grace, and a hazy smile on his face. Caleb squirmed in this chair- beanbag- and wished for the slight weight of his cat to be nestled onto his lap.  
“And what might be your name, Mister…?”  
“Caleb,” he responded, flinching at how coarse his throat felt speaking.  
“Mister Caleb, a pleasure to meet you.”  
Caleb just nodded and sunk further into his seat, playing with the frays of the blanket to keep his hands occupied.  
A high-pitched voice interrupted his thoughts, a voice he did not recognize, “Caduceus, you said we had blueberry muffins in the back!”  
“They’re in the back, next to the packets of sugar,” Caduceus responded to the voice that seemed to be coming from the back, where Caleb could not see. He did not even bother to look up as he continued brewing whatever he was doing, but ears seemed to perk up a bit.  
“Found them!” The voice, definitely feminine, yelled back. Caleb’s mind whirred, the voice most likely from another employee, but to whom did it belong to?  
Caduceus shuckled, and poured the drink into a clay mug with a twisting pattern to it, which was a deep purple. Caleb shuffled in his pockets to get a few spare coins to repay the man when he walked over.  
Caleb took the mug with a small thank you and tried to pay Caduceus, but the firbolg just chuckled.  
“No need to pay me, you are cold and the rain hasn’t been very kind to you.”  
“But I am getting your seat and blanket wet, I cannot just accept this drink without a payment,” Caleb attempted to argue, but it only seemed to amuse the other.  
“Please, I insist,” he said. Caleb wanted to muster something in return, but the hot cup of tea in his hands brought his attention back to it. Caduceus got back up and went to the counter once more, while the warm, almost prickly scent of ginger and faint cinnamon caught his attention. The drink’s steam warmed his face, and the faint orange brown color of the drink piqued his curiosity.  
Caleb took a small sip, and was pleasantly surprised by the light taste of cinnamon, ginger, and the surprising extra kick of vanilla that stayed on his tongue once he had swallowed it. It was not a burst of flavor, but rather a timed experience, each flavor working together in a soft, harmonious blend.  
“This is delicious,” Caleb said, looking to Caduceus who was putting some of the ingredients away.  
“It is my pleasure to serve the up-most of quality drinks here at the Tea Parlor,” Caduceus said, facing Caleb with a smile as a bright blue caught his eye from behind the firbolg.  
“Deuces, who are you talking to?” It was the same voice from earlier, only more in a cheery, song-song tone now. Leaning over the counter was a bright blue tiefling with her hair to her jaw and up into a small bun, with a wide grin.  
“To Mister Caleb here,” Caduceus hummed, as the tiefling looked over to where he was, and her eye caught Caleb’s.  
“Oh, hi, there, my name’s Jester,” she said, bouncing over to where Caleb was sitting. Caleb felt a little hesitant about the girl, who seemed to be excitable from the sugar she must have had from those muffins (Blueberry muffins, next to the sugar, in the back, and she was looking for them, Caleb’s mind reminded him).  
She dragged over another bean bag, this one a more vibrant yellow hue, and plopped herself down, looking comfortable like she had done this a million times before.  
She seemed vaguely familiar, like he had crossed paths with her before, but before he could think, her voice interrupted his thoughts.  
“Oooh, what do you have there?”  
Jester leaned over to see in curiosity what he was drinking, making Caleb feel a little defensive as he hunched his shoulders inwards and held a tighter grip on the warm mug.  
“It’s a warm blend to warm Mister Caleb up, full of good spices and a little hint of something extra,” Caduceus explained as he walked over to where the two were at.  
“You mean the vanilla,” Caleb said, more of a statement than a question, to which Caduceus nodded.  
“Weeell, Caduceus could have put something else in it, Jester said with a snicker.  
“Not without his direct consent I would not Jester,” he said sagely.  
“Put what into it?” Caleb asked, very confused of what was happening.  
“Oh you know, just a little something extra,” Jester said with a wink as Caleb blushed. He looked back down at his drink in wary again, but Caduceus reassured him that it was only tea, with nothing extra added in.  
“You look wet, and cold,” Jester said as he leaned in closer “And a little stinky too.”  
“I, um, I was out in the rain earlier,” he explained, but she had already shifted her attention to Caduceus.  
“Caduceus, do we have any extra scones left?”  
“A couple of raspberry ones, and an extra from the orange dark chocolate one I experimented with the other day,” he said, nodding his head towards the glass in front of the counter, displaying some uneaten treats.  
Jester got up and looked at the, before taking the two raspberry ones and an orange one, and handed a raspberry one over to Caduceus, the orange one to Caleb, and started munching into the last raspberry one for herself.  
“Do tell us what you think of that one, it is from a test batch we are trying out,” Caduceus told Caleb, who took another drink of his tea.  
Caleb nodded and took a bite, the milder orange adding a softness to the pastry, and the chunkier pieces of bitter chocolate added a little aftertaste to it, making him crave more of the treat.  
“This is delicious, wherever did you learn to bake like this?”  
“My mother taught me growing up, and Jester here loves to bake, so she and I are always trying out new and different recipes,” Caduceus replied, seemingly happy with Caleb’s feedback.  
“Yeah, I’ve tried, like, all the good bakeries in this city. There’s Pastry Madness, Juniper’s Delights, A Hearty Bite-”  
“That is where I recognized you from!” Caleb shot out upon hearing that bakery name.  
“What, you work at the Hearty Bite?”  
“No, I work next door, in Quill and Ink. It’s a small bookstore, so many times I see the customers coming to and from,” Caleb explained, relieved to have figured that out.  
Caduceus nodded, but Jester seemed contemplative as she bit into her scone.  
“So, you like books then?” Caduceus asked, as Jester was finishing up her scone.  
“Eh, ja, I do,” he said and Caduceus didn’t press on, something he was grateful for.  
A sudden crash of thunder in the distance made Jester jump sightly, but Caleb just finished his tea instead, hating sudden noise of thunder. He tried to close his eyes, envision himself somewhere else, tried to steady his breathing so slightly-  
“The storm will thrash through the night, it would be wise to stay here for some time. Jester, could you make sure the sign says open, please? I have a feeling you won’t be the only one seeking warmth and shelter.”  
Jester nodded, wiped the crumbs off of her dress, and got up to make sure the sign was fixed. Caleb focused on her movements, the way she carried herself like her feet barely touched the ground, tried to focus on her practically silent footfalls rather than the storm brewing outside.  
“I must thank you for your hospitality, but I do not wish to keep you up all night,” Caleb mustered, getting, feeling still a bit sore and stiff.  
“Stay a while, Mister Caleb. We are in no rush, and as I said, we might be here a while anyways,” Caduceus said.  
“Are you sure?”  
“Listen to him, Caleb, he owns this place anyways,” Jester spoke, returning to her seat.  
“You work for him,” Caleb said, again as less of a question and more of a statement.  
“Yeah, well, only part-time,” she said, leaning forward. “See, I’m really an art student here at Zadash, painting and stuff like that, and Caduceus allows me to hang up some of my stuff here, and plus I get free pastries on shifts,” she droned on, excited to talk about her art.  
Caleb looked around for her art, now that she mentioned it, and saw a few paintings up on the walls, some of fantastical little pink unicorns, others of a darkly hooded figure, reaching his hand out.  
“Who is that?” Caleb asked, nodding to the green figure. At that, Jester immediately perked up.  
“That’s The Traveller of course! You know, like, the best person ever! He’s sooo cool! I have a few pamphlets if you want some,” Jester said, and before Caleb could protest, a lightweight pamphlet was shoved into his hands.  
He turned it over in his hands, careful with it like it was made of glass, a doodle of the same figure painted on it, and there was glitter on some of the words.  
“Is he an idol, like a religious figure of sorts?”  
Caduceus seemed amused by his question, while Jester giggled. “Yeah, um, sort of. He’s not like a big scary god who forces others to obey him, but rather a really nice guy who helps me a lot. I use him for inspiration, like a lot.”  
Caleb nodded, still not fully understanding and handed the pamphlet back to her, but she just regave it back to him. With a small huff he stuffed it into his pocket, not with the same care as before.  
“Caduceus, do you think Fjord will stop by tomorrow?” Her attention had clearly shifted from the scrawny human to the tall firbolg, who gave her a pensive answer that Caleb drone out.  
“And what about you, Mister Caduceus? When will you go home tonight?”  
“Do not fret, I live right upstairs,” he replied with a small chuckle.  
“My momma’s renting me an apartment in the inner city while I stay for my studies,” Jester replied, despite the question not being geared towards her.  
“You have such a wonderful mother Jester, from all the stories you tell us about her,” Caduceus said, preparing himself a cup of tea, or maybe three, since he was taking out another two mugs.  
“Yeah, my mamma’s the best,” she said, practically beaming. There was a few seconds of silence, as Caduceus shifted about the counter, looking for some ingredients on his wall.  
“You said you worked at a bookstore Caleb, is the place yours?” Caduceus asked, plucking out a few orange leaves that from a distance, looked a little shriveled and would add a nice kick to the tea.  
“No, I am the manager there, and the sole bookseller, but I have somebody else above me. I don’t have that kind of money,” he explained.  
“Ooh, is it like part of some super secret crime gang? Like how your boss recruited you and somebody else, and now you have to recruit two people,” Jester gasped, turning towards Caduceus, “Caduceus! We’re the two people he’s trying to get into his gang!”  
“Hold on Jester,” Caduceus said with a chuckle, “ I don’t think it’s anything like that.”  
“Ja, the owner of the bookstore retired about a year after I came in, to make sure I was a good fit. I manage the store, but she is still the owner of it, and it’s still under her name,” Caleb clarified, his head trying to understand why Jester initially thought he was part of some pyramid scheme.  
“Oh, that’s less cool though,” Jester said, pouting a bit as she sunk back down into her beanbag.  
“But it’s okay if you are, but I don’t want to be a part of your bookstore gang,” she said, wrinkling her nose a bit.  
“I can assure you, I’m not part of a gang,” Caleb muttered, as the sound of water being poured into mugs caught his attention. Looking over, he noticed Cad with a tea kettle, humming a little something under his breath.  
“But why own a bookstore if you’re part of a gang? Why not something cooler, like a smut shop or something?”  
“Owning a bookstore sounds fantastic to me, I would love to come visit you someday at it,” Caduceus said, walking over with the three mugs.  
He handed a blue one painted with butterflies to Jester, a green one with what seemed like painted beetles on his, and a fiery red one to Caleb, which he accepted gratefully again.  
They sat in silence for a small while, enjoying each of their respective teas, which must each be a different blend considering all the different aromas and colors they seemed to be. Caleb’s had a darker, muskier flavor in it, with an undertone of smoky wood, if that was even possible. It was bitter, no sugar and honey added. Yet, he had noticed Caduceus earlier put in what had looked like three different sugar cubes into Jester’s when she had been rambling on about the false accusations of being involved in a pyramid scheme. From the lighter, cherry-bright notes that were coming from Caduceus’ tea, he had to guess it was either an herbal blend, or a light green tea with some added herbal tones.  
It was a peaceful sort of silence, not awkward at all despite how brief of a short period he had been with them, and he had just noticed that he no longer felt as wet or as cold as before. Maybe a little stiff from the rain and sitting down for so long, yes, but his dampened hair had started to puff out a little rather than stick to his forehead and the sides of his head.  
“ If you’d like to stay for the night Mister Caleb, I would have no problem with that at all,” Caduceus offered up again.  
“Thank you, but you have to sleep somewhere too,” he countered gently, not outright refusing his offer.  
“I have some extra sheets and blankets for myself. Unless of course your store opens early again tomorrow.”  
“We are Tuesday, correct?” The other two both nodded their heads in confirmation.  
“My store does not open until noon tomorrow, so I have my morning off,” he said.  
“Oh! If you stay the night here, we could invite the others tomorrow for breakfast, right Cad?”  
“We could,” the firbolg thought, sipping his tea in contemplation.  
“The others?”  
“Well, the rest of us, of course! We’re a whole bunch, and if we have the time on mornings we all come over here and it’s super fun,” Jester explained, waving her hand in gestures that Caleb could not comprehend.  
“Then I would not want to intrude on your time together.”  
“No, no! I think they would like you, what do you think Cad?”  
“That sounds like a wonderful idea Jester,” Caduceus nodded.  
“Then it’s settled! You’ll stay here for the night, and meet the others in the morning,” Jester said with a small clap of her hands.  
“Yes, but who exactly are the others? How many of you are there?” Caleb could feel his stomach twist in a sort of nervous tension, with the idea of seeing people so early in the morning, these strangers, when he had not even a proper change of clothes (Though you sometimes rarely bother with that, he instantly thought back to himself).  
“Welllll, you see there’s Cad and I, there’s Beau, who’s really cool, Fjord, who’s into some weird arcane stuff a bit, Molly, who I think will like you, and Yasha, who’s super intimidating and scary, but I promise she’s not,” Jester explained with zeal and enthusiasm.  
“That’s a lot of people,” Caleb murmured, which came out like a whisper.  
“You don’t have to meet them if you don’t want to, it’s all your decision,” Caduceus said, trying to comfort Caleb.  
“What if you bring a friend as well? That way you won’t be so alone either!” Jester continued.  
Caleb tried to think of those he considered friends, with only one person in mind. Nott was like a sister to him, and she was possible worse in social situations than he was. Other than that, his mind drew a quick blank on any other names, other than Frumpkin.  
“Hello? Earth to Caleb,” Jester said in a sing-sung voice, waving her hand in front of Caleb’s face.  
“Uh, ja, sorry,” he apologized, looking in his cup of tea, the last bit of warmth seeping into his hands.  
“There is no problem Mr. Caleb, if you feel uncomfortable, I’m sure we can work something else,” Caduceus said kindly. Another stroke of lightning, and then a grumble of thunder followed. Jester jumped a bit in her seat, and looked back to Caduceus, with almost a pleading look in her eyes.  
“You can stay too Jester, but I only have one bed, and one couch-”  
“I’ll just make a mini pillow fort for myself! Oh my gosh guys, this is going to be the best sleep over ever!” Jester was just beaming.  
“It’s okay, I can take the floor-”  
“Nope! I want my pillow fort!” Jester said triumphantly.  
“Come, let’s get ourselves prepared. I have spare towels for whoever wants to take a shower first,” Caduceus said, getting up slowly. Jester bounced up, her tail swishing happily, something that lightly amused Caleb.  
“How may I help you, Caduceus?” Caleb asked, getting up to. “Don’t you have to make pastries for the morning?”  
“We’ve prepared many batches, and I have my system,” Caduceus said with a light chuckle, where he and Jester slipped to the back room where Jester had previously emerged from. Caleb followed sheepishly, finding only a small table, an open plastic container with what seemed like crumbs, some chairs, and a staircase in the back that Caduceus was currently climbing. Following Jester, Caleb went up the stairs, where Caduceus unlocked a door and soft lights emerged from the inside.  
Jester was telling something to Caduceus in her happy manner, clearly joyous about their situation, and Caleb hoped he wouldn’t regret this in the morning.  
Would he?  
Nonetheless, he followed them, and entered Caduceus’ room with a strange pit in his stomach, a feeling of anxiety, stress, worry, and oddly something else… comfort? From this possible amity? No, it must be something else (Caleb, you must be careful, he reminded himself). It has to be something else, it has to be something else, it had to be something else-

He stepped inside, and shut the door behind them.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fic here.... Comments and kudos are very much appreciated. I don't really know what direction this story is headed in, so I'd love to here your ideas too! Thank you to everyone who read this, and have a wonderful day/night!


End file.
